Wednesday, June 03, 2009
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari Tuesday called upon the business community to come forward and play their role in rebuilding the national economy and rehabilitation of displaced persons.
He said this during an interactive session with a delegation of Pakistan Business Council at the Presidency on Monday. The meeting was attended by Adviser on Finance Shaukat Tarin, Adviser Petroleum Dr Asim Hussain, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Governor Punjab Salman Taseer, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Sardar Aseff Ahmad Ali, Minister of State for Finance and Economic Affairs Ms Hina Rabbani Khar, Secretary General Salman Faruqui and the secretaries of relevant ministries.
The president said that there was great potential for enhancing export earnings manifold through value addition in the textile and garments industry. “Our raw material in the textile sector is one of the best in the world and by converting it into high quality finished products Pakistan can increase its export earnings by four fold,” he said.
The president said the shortage of energy and the circular debt had also adversely impacted on the business and industrial sectors resulting in decline in jobs. He said the government endeavoured to find out of the box solutions to this problem.
He said that the displacement of millions of people from Swat had also impacted on the economy and asked the business community to adopt affected villages for reconstruction and rehabilitation on a voluntary basis.
He said the government was adopting the public private partnership to enable the local people become stakeholders in the economic development of the country.President Zardari said that the government was seeking greater access to international markets for Pakistani products so as to boost industrial production in the country and thereby create additional jobs.
He expressed the hope that the concept of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) will soon be translated into reality and drive the industrial engine in FATA and other areas of the country.
The president said that the government also planned to move the Friends of Democratic Pakistan FODP for assistance in increasing the capacity of existing universities and academic institutions in the country.
Members of the PBC also gave suggestions on a number of issues including poverty alleviation, broadening tax base, documentation of economy and large scale manufacturing industry. The president said that the government will look into their suggestions.
The president said that the government aimed at creating a business friendly environment to enable the businessmen and entrepreneurs play a greater role in national development.Members of the Pakistan Business Council who attended the meeting included Abdul Razzak Dawood, Chairman, PBC, Ali S Habib, Vice Chairman, PBC, Kamran Mirza, Chief Executive, PBC, Asad Umar, President &CEO, Engro Chemical Pakistan Ltd, Bashir Ali Mohammad, Chairman Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Ltd, M Hussain Dawood, Chairman, Dawood Group.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari has directed the NWFP government to urgently engage Nadra and UNHCR for immediate registration of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the camps and off the camps.
Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the president issued these directives Tuesday after receiving reports that the IDPs living in camps of Pallai and Rangmalla and those residing off camps in Malakand Agency were not registered, due to which they were facing difficulties in receiving the relief goods.
According to the spokesman, President Zardari also directed the NWFP government to immediately purchase 1,280 desert coolers for community tents in all the camps of the province. The federal government will bear the expenses of providing desert coolers to the IDPs, the spokesman added.
